News continued (page 2)
County Council Targets Parks for Huge Budget
Cut!
May 10, 2010
The County Council is currently evaluating the
budget request made by the County Executive. This is a hard year financially
and there are very difficult decisions that have to be made.
We want to make you aware of something that you
might want to evaluate and communicate your opinion about to the Council.
The Parks Department is targeted for a 17.5% or $14.5 million reduction, much
more than other agencies. Also under consideration is a major change in the
structure of the Parks Department, including putting some or all of the
Department, currently part of the independent Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, into the Recreation Department, part of the
Executive Branch of the County.
Parks are a very important part of our rural
community. They are open areas that are kept green, treed and undeveloped.
One concern about changing the structure of the Parks system is that the
parkland could eventually be developed in other ways, cutting back on the
rural atmosphere provided by the parks and the activities offered, especially
for our children.
The County Council will be voting on these issues
soon, so if you want to voice an opinion, you need to do so now. You
can send email to the entire County Council by sending it to: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.
To
learn more about the Parks situation go to www.parksmatter.org, which has links
to information from the Council.
SSARPC would like to receive copies of your letters.
Please send them electronically to feedback@ssarpc.org
or via surface mail to Box 518, Sandy Spring, Maryland 20860.
Thomas Building
(Goddard School and Commercial Offices)
Preliminary Plan Approved
January 20, 2010
At its meeting on January 14, the Planning Board
voted 4 to 0 to approve the Preliminary Plan for
the Thomas Building (Goddard School and
commercial offices), near the intersection of
Route 108 and Norwood Road in Sandy Spring.
During closing remarks, some Board members noted
that a number of issues brought up in the
testimony, particularly related to the building
size, will be discussed again at the Site Plan
hearing. The
design includes a large building, a two-level
parking garage and the removal of many trees,
filling the relatively small lot.
The Site Plan hearing will make the final
determination on the building structure and will
ensure that the design of the building meets the
requirements of the Sandy Spring-Ashton Master
Plan.
The design will need to fit into the
rural village of Sandy Spring.
More about the
Thomas Building Preliminary Plan Hearing
More Thomas Building News
Thomas Building Documents
More News
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